Knox County Sheriff -
Sheriff J.J. Jones

Knox County Sheriff News

A Knox County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Officer initiated a traffic stop at 4515 Clinton Highway, Monday afternoon for a driver who was speeding. According to the report, Officer James Troutt smelled marijuana as he approached the car and as he talked to the driver. He asked the driver and passenger to get out of the car so the dog could sniff the vehicle. A detective on the scene recognized the driver from another incident and said he should be detained because he had given false information. When he heard that, the defendant, 30 year old William J. Foote ran from the scene toward Tillery Road. Officer Troutt and his K-9 chased Foote into a thicket behind 4521Tillery Road. Foote refused to come out or show his hands and was warned if he didn’t the K-9 would bite him. He continued to refuse and the dog bit him on the right arm. He still refused to show his hands or surrender and the dog bit him on the lower left leg. At that, Foote showed his hands and surrendered to officers.

Rural Metro transported him to U.T. Medical Center where he was treated and then taken to the Knox County Detention Facility where he was charged with criminal impersonation, fake driver license, resisting arrest, manufacture, delivery, sale or possession of a schedule VI controlled substance (officers found 23 grams of marijuana in his car and a large amount of cash), and evading arrest. Foote gave officers a phony driver license on the scene and was identified at the jail through fingerprints as Foote. He is wanted in California for robbery, felony fraud and wanted by the U.S. Marshal on weapons charges. He is being held without bond.